Sweetest Goodbye
by Purringpuppy
Summary: How did Jordan find himself as part of the family...


Disclaimer: All lyrics are not owned by me and the concepts are co-owned by. M. L.

The night seemed to tick on and on for Jordan. A rock festival had been in town three days now and he'd seen every druggie, drunk, groupie, and downer that you could possibly imagine. He noted, with anguish, as he watched another girl get escorted out by security, that the clock was lingering far too long on quarter til two. The only comfort he'd found from his rock tour was that some bands had also chosen this as a hang out, but the comfort was small as most of them were tired and irritable by the time they arrived. It frustrated him that they expected him to stay open for them however, since he happened to have someone waiting for him. For the past week, the woman had been coming into the club, just before closing, and stayed to talk to him while he wiped down and locked up for the night. He'd walked her home, and received a small kiss in return every night. Tonight was no exception, she'd slipped in just before one thirty and once again, he'd promised to walk her home after he closed.

Where you are, seems to be as far as an eternity.. Out stretched arms, open hearts and...If it never ends, then when do we start?

He watched her, unnoticed for a few minutes, losing himself in her classical beauty. She was one of those women that guys had to convince themselves didn't exist outside of airbrushed magazine photos. Yet she was as real to him as anything he'd ever known. She caught his stare and returned a smile, cherry stained lips parting to reveal pearl white teeth. Unfortunately, he couldn't take her home until the boys got tired, so he was stuck catering to them. Between clearing drinks and bringing refills, he managed to wipe down all of the tables but theirs, and the washer was waiting for their glasses before he ran it. Finally, just past three, the rockers grew weary and staggered out of the club with their friends. It amazed him how quickly one works when properly motivated, but found himself done loading the glasses into the dishwasher in no time. He shrugged into his leather jacket, catching a glance of himself in a mirror. He looked awful, his shaggy black hair sticking every which way and his tan from the weekend before nothing but a memory.

I'll never leave you behind, or treat you unkind.. I know you understand. oh...

He walked to her table and she rose to meet him. If was his first chance to get a good look at her that evening. Instead of the somewhat casual clothes he'd seen her in before, she looked like she had been out of the prowl. She wore a long black leather skirt with high slits, high heeled black boots, a black halter top and a black lace jacket which just barely brushed the floor. It was the jacket which had him mesmerized, the black cobweb seeming to cling to her like it was part of her own skin. "Would you like me to wait while you call someone to come get you?" She looked appalled at the thought, although he didn't know why. Every morning, the lights were on when he took her home, surely someone could come get her. "You promised to walk me, besides, why bother them." He had promised. "I just thought that since it was late.." She smiled sweetly, taking his hand. "It's not late, it's early."

And with a tear in my eye... give me the sweetest goodbye, that I ever did receive

It wasn't far at all from the club to the house she lived in. Sure enough, lights were on and you could hear music coming from inside. He hoped they weren't waiting up for her, he felt bad enough that she'd waited an extra hour for him. As they stood on the door step, she leaned forward to give him his knightly reward, but instead whispered in his ear. "Why not come in, it's still early after all."

Pushing forward and arching back... Brings me closer to heart attack... Say good bye and just fly away

Pain shot up his spine as his body came in contact with the cold marble floor of his bedroom. He sat up, slowly, pain covering his entire body. He lifted off the bed clothes which had followed him onto the floor and pulled himself up onto the bed once more. His cat gave a pompous huff as he began to peel of his clothes from the night before. This was the third night in a row that he couldn't remember how he got back to his apartment, much less into his bed. From a fold of cloth, piece of paper flutter out on the bed. Parrot batted at it with his paw, but Jordan grabbed it from him.

"when you come back,  
I have some things to say"

When he came back? He couldn't even remember what had happened the night before, and she expected him to come back? This was crazy, all of it, but part of him wanted to know what had happened to him the night before. He felt different somehow, he just couldn't place it. Granted, he'd never done the place up much, but this was his home. Now, he felt like a stranger, in a stranger apartment, wearing strange clothes, petting a strange cat. Even Parrot seemed different, the normally crank cat was allowing himself to be petted, and was even purring in response.

Normally, on his days off, he woke up earlier and went for a nice log run, to clear his mind. Some how he'd slept until nearly three in the afternoon and couldn't muster the desire to put on his sweats, much less run a few miles. His mind kept coming back to that note and his desire to know what had happened last night, surely he hadn't gotten that wasted, had he? He had to find out. He dressed nicely -again- something he never did on a day off, and headed toward the club to retrace his steps. Just as he remembered, the walk to her home didn't take long at all, but he couldn't tell if anyone inside was awake or not. Suddenly, walking up the drive in black leather pants and a tight black t-shirt with his leather jacket, he felt stupid, out of place. That feeling ended as he touched his hand to the doorknob. He let himself in, not sure how he knew it would be unlocked, and just stood still, letting the feeling of absolute completion wash over him.

How does it feel to know you'll never have to be alone when you get home?

He walked forward, eyes fixed on the stairway leading upstairs, when he was drawn for his day dream by a rich baritone voice. "You must be Jordan." The voice held a hint of a laugh, swirled with a certain old world quality. Turning, he was startled to see a man maybe a few years older than him, if that, walking out of the living room. Jordan smiled outwardly but swallowed hard as he assessed the man. He looked like he'd walked out of a magazine, perfectly spiked hair, perfect complection, even his t shirt and khaki cargos clung perfectly to his frame. Despite his best intent, Jordan couldn't throw the feeling that he himself was being eyed too carefully as well. "I'm Jonathan, she told me to expect you." Again.. she.. was one step ahead of him. Somewhere, deep inside he'd been hoping that the man would tell him that he'd never met the woman and it was all a dream. No such luck. And still, he couldn't shake the familiarity. "Did we meet last night? It's kinda fuzzy.." Once more, Jonathan was laughing at him. "Actually, I was just leaving when you two came in, thought I'd leave you to your own devices, ya know?" Jordan smiled in agreement, but he wasn't sure whether he response was comforting to him or not. It only confirmed his uneasiness that something had happened. "So, Jonathan, is she.." Jonathan snickered softly at the valiant attempt of Jordan's to cover up that he had no idea what her name was. "She told me to send you up, it the door at the end of the hall."

There must be someplace here, that only you and I could go.. So I could show you, how I feel..

As suddenly as Jonathan had joined him, he was back to his business, leaving matters between Jordan and the staircase once more. "You need to do this, this is why you came," he berated himself as he slowly climbed the stairs. He held the banister in a death grip, as if he would tumble if he loosened up one bit. Once more, he was being swept away by the atmosphere of the home. Rich colors and paintings reinforced the warm homey feel that he'd had since he'd opened the door. Still, his breathe stuck in his throat as he wrapped his hand around the ornate brass doorknob which would open the door to his destination. Intermixed with the pleasant warmth which had filled him, the hungover uneasiness from that morning was creeping back into his mind, making him falter a moment before he pushed open the door.

Dream away everyday.. try so hard to disregard.. The rhythm of the rain that drops and coincides with the beating of my heart

The room, was ten fold the beauty he'd witnessed in the rest of the house. An ornate oak four poster bed with regal bed clothes and drapes sat as the centerpiece to the room. It looked and felt as though he'd walked into some french manor house one hundred years prior. As he soaked it all in, his eyes fell on a new focus. Draped delicately across a chaise, his mystery woman flipped idly through a magazine, never pausing for more than a second to examine a page before returning to her perusal. The long dress she wore was a thin black gauze, almost translucent he thought, but the black corset she wore over it pushed her cleavage almost out of the dress. Blond curls were piled up on top of her head and the imperfection of loose tendrils here and there only seemed to add to the perfection as a whole. He would have been contented to stand there watching her forever if she hadn't noticed him, and he hadn't suddenly felt too weak to stand on his own. A delicate hand and blood red nails patted the seat next to her as she moved into a sitting position, her matching blood red lips curled into a delicious smile. His last few steps toward the chaise were clumsy and off balance and he quickly sat, grateful for the steadying help it provided. "Hello Jordan." His eyes were so fixed on her lips, he had barely heard her speak. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming." It made him uncomfortable to think that he'd left her waiting, that perhaps they had agreed on a meeting time during the previous night and that too had escaped with the rest of his memories. Her next words only served to make him more uncomfortable. "Don't be silly, I wasn't waiting, I was reading." Jordan's response evaporated before he could collect the words. He had no response, more less an explanation.

I'll never leave you behind, or treat you unkind... I know you understand. yeah.. yeah.. yeah... and with a tear in my eye, give me the sweetest goodbye... That I ever did receive

"Honestly, the way you're acting, you'd think this was all new to you." She rose from the chaise to stand in front of him. "Ask." There it was again, she was stepping before he'd laid the stones of the path. Subconsciously he was aware of his heart rattling in his chest, yet somehow seeming to slow all at once. He rose as well, taking her hand gently. "Your name." She smiled, a puzzling smile, the kind of smile which had led men to betray their wives and countries, the kind of smile which could cause nothing but trouble to it's receiver. "Veronique." It rolled off her tongue like an angelic melody, and put an unnatural peace back into his heart. Time and space and the uneasiness which had been so ready to overtake him where all fading to black amid his desire. What he had meant as a soft, inquisitive kiss, soon become a duel between passion and power. Who had control of the kiss and who wanted it more.

Pushing forward and arching back  
Brings me closer to heart attack  
Say good bye and just fly away  
when you come back, I have some thing to say

Jordan snakes out a lazy arm, taking a half filled wine glass from the night stand. He sat, back against the headboard, staring deep into the glass as if it held the answers to the mysteries of the universe. Forgetting himself in the moment, he drained the rest of the glass with one tilt. With catlike laziness twined into his fluid motions, he rose from the bed and pulled his leather pants up from the floor. There was no second thought to where the rich burgundy wine had come from, or the empty bed he'd woken in. He pulled his pants on, licking a lingering drop of wine from his lip as he walked toward the large french doors.

How does it feel to know you'll never have to be alone  
when you get home?

Jordan stepped through the billowing curtains and out into the warm night. He stretched his arms out wide, shaking off sleep with a contented sigh. If he didn't know better, he'd swear he felt the heat of the full moon on his face as he stood, the warm wind whipping as his bare skin and tousled hair. For a fraction of a second, work flashed into his mind, but was just as quickly gone. It was as if minutes and days and the outside world didn't matter here. Jordan walks back inside, looking around for his shirt, pretty sure he'd been wearing a shirt before.

There must be someplace here that only you and I could go  
So I can show you how I feel

"You're awake" Jordan turned to look at Veronique who stood in the doorway. He walked across the room to her, smiling. "I just slept late? forgive?" He asked sweetly, with a soft kiss. She looked just as amazing in jeans and a t-shirt as she did all dolled up. Speaking of, he realized that she was wearing his t-shirt. He dug his hands deep in his pockets, gaze downcast. "No offense, I mean, it does look better on you, but I sorta need my shirt.." Veronique smiled and grabbed the hem, pulling it over her head. "here." The word had doubled accent, double meaning. She was offering him his shirt, yet at the same time, she was commanding him to her. She stood there in a black lace bra and jeans, a challenging smirk on her face. Jordan took his shirt from her hand and pulled her close, sliding his other hand around her waist. He kissed her deeply, letting the t-shirt slip from his fingers. Instead he brought his hand up, brushing his hand over the lace.

Pushing forward and arching back  
Brings me closer to heart attack

Veronique kissed back, amazed at his keeping his eyes open, locked on hers as they kissed. It was in those moments that she saw glimpses of power and desire and passion running through his mind. She could feel the smirk in his kiss even more that she could see it. He didn't even know what was happening to him, but he loved her for it. "The cat doesn't really need to eat." he mumbled in a brief breathing break, before returning to their fire fight of a kiss. Jordan walked her backward slowly, pushing her onto the bed with a grin. As he began to crawl up the bed toward her, he grin slowly twisted into a wince and the familiar pain racked his body. Veronique pulled him into a semi sitting position and reached across, pouring him another glass of wine. She raised the glass to his lips. "drink up luv, it will all be over soon." Jordan didn't protest, he merely drank it down and let his eyes close as the pain seeped from his body.

Say good bye and just fly away  
when you come back,  
I have some things to say

Placing a quick kiss on his forehead, Veronique rose from the bed, replacing the wine glass on the bedside table. She smiled innocently to Jonny as she walked across to where he now stood near the door. "The thing about immortality, there's always that messy dying part first.." Jon mused as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "He'll thank me later," She smirks, leaning back against Jon's chest to look at her sleeping mate. "and he'd fully capable of thanking me." Jonny laughs. "I know Roni, I think I'm moving my bed away from yours, just incase the ceiling busts." She swats at his arm. "And you were put on the ground floor specifically so you couldn't screw the bed through the floor.." "Speaking of," Jon unwraps himself from Veronique. "I'm gonna go grab a drink before Rowan gets in, let you wait for the jackrabbit to awaken."

How does it feel to know you'll never have to be alone  
when you get home?  
There must be someplace here that only you and I could go  
To show you I feel...feel...feel...feel


End file.
